How to Make Biodiesel
In the eternal search for cheaper fuels, and a way to eliminate
the use of fossil fuel from our environment, some clever
researchers have come up with a way of making your own biodiesel
fuel. But while it is often promoted as something you can "make
at home", there are a number of things to consider, first.
Biodiesel if made from vegetable oils or animal fast, or a
combination of both. The most prevalent is SVO, or straight
vegetable oil. And while you can "make" it at home, few
households have the base product in a large enough quantity to
be of any use in a motor vehicle.
However, some companies are now turning to the recycling of oils
from restaurant, bakery and other deep fryers, collecting it in
massive tanks to be blended and re-sold as a bioldiesel fuel.
Technically, it can be done at home, but the logistics of
acquiring that much oil, mixing and storing it, is the main
problem. For example, to make SVO from restaurant oil, known as
WVO or waste vegetable oil, you must dewater, filter and
deacidify it.
On the plus side, many people have been making their own
biodiesel fuel for years. Consider that an average household
uses about 600 gallons of gas a year. That can cost you upwards
of $1700, depending on the markets. But the simple ingredients
used to process biodiesel, including such things as lye, are
cheap and easily available. Your end cost after production
expenses, is about one-quarter of fossil fuel.
So if you're concerned with the environment and your pocketbook,
by all means, do some research on making bioldiesel, starting
with all clean products, to eliminate the cleaning and storage
of waste oils. You may just find that with biodiesel, you're
really cooking!